{"id":16366,"date":"2023-12-06T23:25:24","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T23:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/?p=16366"},"modified":"2025-04-30T17:04:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T17:04:29","slug":"2023-end-of-the-year-champions-p1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/2023-end-of-the-year-champions-p1\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Some Of The No Kid Hungry Champions Who Inspired Hope And Fed Kids In 2023 (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"16366\" class=\"elementor elementor-16366\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a56a5af elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a56a5af\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a22fd3d\" data-id=\"a22fd3d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8fe5351 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8fe5351\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the face of ever-evolving challenges, there are stories of hope &#8211; among them, the heroic efforts by educators, school leaders, child nutrition professionals, community organizations, government partners and others.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Champions have banded together across the Golden State and worked tirelessly to ensure kids have the food they need to dream of a brighter and more caring future. There are thousands of examples we could point to, and though we can\u2019t list them all here, our gratitude goes out to each and every hunger hero who worked for kids this year.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Meet some of the heroes who have joined our movement to fight childhood hunger.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5121f28 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5121f28\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a983ee9\" data-id=\"a983ee9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fe730cd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fe730cd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>1. Mayors In Action: California\u2019s Mayors Joining A National Nonpartisan Movement To End Child Hunger<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Launched in 2022, the Mayor\u2019s Alliance to End Childhood Hunger is a nonpartisan coalition working in partnership with Share Our Strength\u2019s No Kid Hungry campaign to ensure that every child has the healthy food they need to thrive. By engaging with community leaders to utilize innovative ideas and strategies to ensure equitable access to food for all their city\u2019s children and to improve utilization of important existing programs such as afterschool and summer meals. 21 Californians joined the Mayor\u2019s Alliance this year. With 317 Mayors from all 50 states in the country, we\u2019re grateful to the 29 Californians who are a part of the Mayor\u2019s Alliance. Some of the mayors who joined this year include Mayor Karen Bass (Los Angeles), Mayor Alma Beltran (Parlier), Mayor Amy Bublak (Turlock), Mayor Matt Mahan (San Jose), Mayor <span data-sheets-root=\"1\" data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Ulises Cabrera&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:12653,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0,&quot;3&quot;:1},&quot;5&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:[{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;5&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:0}},{&quot;1&quot;:0,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;3&quot;:3},{&quot;1&quot;:1,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;4&quot;:1}]},&quot;6&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:[{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;5&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:0}},{&quot;1&quot;:0,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;3&quot;:3},{&quot;1&quot;:1,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;4&quot;:1}]},&quot;8&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:[{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;5&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:0}},{&quot;1&quot;:0,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;3&quot;:3},{&quot;1&quot;:1,&quot;2&quot;:0,&quot;4&quot;:1}]},&quot;9&quot;:1,&quot;11&quot;:4,&quot;15&quot;:&quot;Georgia&quot;,&quot;16&quot;:11}\">Ulises Cabrera (Moreno Valley), <\/span>Mayor Devin T. Murphy (Pinole), Mayor Hipolito Angel Cerros (Lindsay), and Mayor Rex Richardson (Long Beach). To learn more about the Mayor\u2019s Alliance and our Californian mayors, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mayorshungeralliance.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">click here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a0304eb\" data-id=\"a0304eb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55493a5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"55493a5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/Logo-MayorsAlliance-vert-rgb.jpg\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-469d6ba elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"469d6ba\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-331eb9c\" data-id=\"331eb9c\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-de0e167 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"de0e167\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>2. Engaging Students and Improving Meal Quality across the Southern San Joaquin Valley<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Serving over 42,000 students, Kern High School District is the largest high school district in California. Leading this charge so no kid goes hungry, Jennifer Davis, SNS, director of nutrition services and her team of school nutrition professionals have been hard at work to engage students and their families and improve meal quality. They were able to leverage both their CA Department of Education\u2019s Kitchen, Infrastructure and Training (KIT) funding and a No Kid Hungry grant to renovate and remodel their central kitchen. They are listening and receiving feedback from students and various communities about the food and need for culturally relevant options. For example, collaborating with the local Sikh community to expand vegetarian and vegan options as well as partnering with the Dolores Huerta Foundation to think critically about meal quality and its impact on student health and wellness. We are grateful for the thoughtful leadership of the entire Kern High School District nutrition services team!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d379e74\" data-id=\"d379e74\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-27311a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"27311a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/KHSD.jpg\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7c8bd8e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7c8bd8e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-458a6ab\" data-id=\"458a6ab\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c02a76 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6c02a76\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>3. Kids are starting the day with a Nutritious Breakfast, how these School Districts are Changing the Game<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">School breakfast provides the consistent nutrition kids need to learn, grow and reach their full potential. Serving<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/school-breakfast\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> breakfast after the bell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> can significantly boost the number of kids receiving the morning meal they need to learn. Here are some highlights of school districts across California going above and beyond to reach kids with a morning meal:<\/span><\/p><ul><li><p><b>San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD)<\/b> &#8211; This school year, Adriane Robles\u2019s and Warren Ryan\u2019s nutrition services team launched breakfast in the classroom at five elementary schools. Partnering with their school principals, the breakfast after the bell program has made a significant impact on the health, well-being, and readiness of their scholars. Since starting breakfast in the classroom, they have seen a 217% increase in breakfast served over last year when the meal was served only in the cafeteria. This means an average of 845 more students per day ate breakfast just in the first week of the program!\u00a0<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7614b7c elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"7614b7c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=VbNoy4ZYQXI&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ca84a21 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ca84a21\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-27ba32b\" data-id=\"27ba32b\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7345929 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7345929\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Fullerton School District<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; With the leadership and close partnership of Principal Jean Summy and Nutrition Services Director Michael Burns, Commonwealth Elementary School became the first and only school in Orange County to operate a breakfast in the classroom program. We are amazed by Principal Summy\u2019s dedication to her scholars and believe this is just the beginning\u00a0 of reaching many more hungry students in Orange County.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-70f3f73\" data-id=\"70f3f73\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e91630b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e91630b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/10\/jeansummy.png\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-644c17c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"644c17c\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8924e09\" data-id=\"8924e09\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b4302f5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b4302f5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>4. Peer Support and Best Practices, Building the Movement so No Kid Goes Hungry<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The No Kid Hungry campaign collaborates with everyone who aligns with our mission to ensure that every kid has three healthy meals a day. We partner with school districts, community organizations and state agencies, providing grant funding and technical assistance. We also support and facilitate spaces that bring together school, child nutrition, elected and community leaders.<\/span><\/p><ul><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After three years of bringing together school nutrition and public health leaders, <\/span><b>the Quad County Collaborative (QCC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> concluded its regional quarterly webinar series, an online convening where directors and leaders representing the needs from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties connected to exchange best practices, support and uplift each other throughout the pandemic.<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Schools for Healthy Thriving Students: Wellness Policy Consortium, a partnership between <\/span><b>Valley Children\u2019s Healthcare, Public Health Institute\u2019s Center for Wellness and Nutrition (PHI CWN)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and No Kid Hungry, engaged 17 school districts in Fresno and Madera counties to strengthen student health and wellness practices and policies. Centered on the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child framework (WSCC), seven districts in the consortium were awarded grants by No Kid Hungry which resulted in the adoption and improved nutrition and student wellness policies. By promoting access to healthy food at school, they\u2019re helping students reach their full potential!<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9e65109 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9e65109\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-66 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1dff9f1\" data-id=\"1dff9f1\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0bfb1dd elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0bfb1dd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><b>5. Public Servants Supporting Kids And Families Throughout The Pandemic<\/b><\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) administers the highly effective Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) program, which has provided food benefits to children since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020-21 school year alone, P-EBT reached nearly 4.2 million children in California, with over $6.1 billion in food benefits issued. However, following the expiration of the federal Public Health Emergency on May 11, 2023, the P-EBT program is ending during a time when <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nokidhungry.org\/who-we-are\/pressroom\/statement-share-our-strengths-lisa-davis-responds-staggering-increase-child\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">the number of kids facing hunger is skyrocketing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. No Kid Hungry will continue to advocate for state and federal programs like CalFresh, the Child Tax Credit, and forthcoming Summer EBT program, because research shows that investing in these programs directly reduces hunger and hardship and helps lift children and families out of poverty. We want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the dedicated CDSS staff for their tireless work providing information to organizations on the ground and resources to children and families across California as we navigated the highs and lows of the pandemic. We look forward to collaborating and supporting CDSS in the implementation of Summer EBT. Much appreciation to our partners on the ground feeding kids during the hungriest time of the year!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-33 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-22625b4\" data-id=\"22625b4\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1546c13 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1546c13\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/80af0609-5a9b-44ad-a119-5ec954852f18.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-15923\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/80af0609-5a9b-44ad-a119-5ec954852f18.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/80af0609-5a9b-44ad-a119-5ec954852f18-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/80af0609-5a9b-44ad-a119-5ec954852f18-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e5e3c11 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e5e3c11\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/12\/P-EBT.jpg\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e5759bf elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e5759bf\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-aaefae5\" data-id=\"aaefae5\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c14ea4 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"3c14ea4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f514df8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f514df8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We are so grateful for the tireless work of all our champions, through thick and thin, and their dedication and commitment to our next generation. Please join us in celebrating those mentioned here and all of the champions in our communities fighting childhood hunger. <a href=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/2023-end-of-the-year-champions-p2\/\">Learn about five more champions here!<\/a><\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When we fill the plates of kids and teens with the meals they need to thrive, we\u2019re opening up a world of possibilities. When you support No Kid Hungry, you\u2019re fueling our nation\u2019s future. Together we can make a difference! <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/47aL3Ry\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Donate today<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p><p><em>Last Reviewed: December 11, 2023<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the face of ever-evolving challenges, there are stories of hope &#8211; among them, the heroic efforts by educators, school leaders, child nutrition professionals, community organizations, government partners and others&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,49,84],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16366","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"category-hunger-hero","8":"category-storytelling"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Meet Some Of The No Kid Hungry Champions Who Inspired Hope And Fed Kids In 2023 (Part 1) - California<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/state.nokidhungry.org\/california\/2023-end-of-the-year-champions-p1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet Some Of The No Kid Hungry Champions Who Inspired Hope And Fed Kids In 2023 (Part 1) - California\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the face of ever-evolving challenges, there are stories of hope &#8211; 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